<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Mayday Cafe by LittleMissAgrafina</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27619916">The Mayday Cafe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissAgrafina/pseuds/LittleMissAgrafina'>LittleMissAgrafina</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Comfortember 2020 [15]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bakery and Coffee Shop, But there is fluff in it i promise, Coffee Shops, Cuz of Ben, F/M, Gen, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Tagging, Irondad, It's not established yet but its there at the end, M/M, Minor Angst, parkner, sorta - Freeform, spiderson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:01:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27619916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissAgrafina/pseuds/LittleMissAgrafina</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter had loved the cafe ever since he could remember and he remembered a lot.</p><p>He remembered when his parents were still alive, how they would take him to visit the little shop. May would greet him with a kiss to his nose and Ben would swing him up to sit on the counter next to him as the man worked. </p><p>Peter would watch as he knead and rolled different dough for pastries and biscuits, mixed together the batters for cakes, sponges, and muffins. To the little boy it all looked like magic. It tasted like it too, when Ben would pass him bits of the "mini munchies" he always made for Peter to taste.</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>Comfortember Day 18. Hot Cocoa</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Parker &amp; Peter Parker, Ben Parker/May Parker (Spider-Man), Harley Keener &amp; Peter Parker, Harley Keener &amp; Tony Stark, Harley Keener/Peter Parker, Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Comfortember 2020 [15]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995808</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Comfortember 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Mayday Cafe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Soo when I was writing this it lind of got carried away and hot chocolate is only mentioned once or twice in the whole fic I think😂<br/>I mean, it still counts right?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p><span>There was a quaint little cafe nestled in the side of a nondescript building in Queens. A little sign hanging over the door with the words </span><em><span>The Mayday Cafe </span></em><span>pressed</span> <span>into the weather worn but strong steel. Many people passed it by each day without knowing it was there, but there were many, still, who knew of its existence.</span></p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>From the outside it wasn't much, its perpetually slightly misted windows not showing much of the inner workings of the few employees and owners to the street but let a warm light filter through on early mornings and sun kissed evenings.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It had become a favourite of the residents and commuters of the surrounding area, it's food and drink were always decadent, always and fresh; the service and friendliness of its staff and owners only served to make it sweeter.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as it was a favourite of its regular customers, it was a favourite of a boy with curly brown hair who loved to wear nerdy T-shirts with any outfit he could wear them with.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter had loved the cafe ever since he could remember and he remembered a lot.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembered when his parents were still alive, how they would take him to visit the little shop. May would greet him with a kiss to his nose and Ben would swing him up to sit on the counter next to him as the man worked. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter would watch as he knead and rolled different dough for pastries and biscuits, mixed together the batters for cakes, sponges, and muffins. To the little boy it all looked like magic. It tasted like it too, when Ben would pass him bits of the "mini munchies" he always made for Peter to taste.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually as Peter grew more steady and less clumsy, Ben would set him up on a stool next to him so that he was tall enough to reach the counter and he would help his uncle add and mix different ingredients. One day he was even able to crack an egg without getting any of the shells in the mixture!</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter hopped off of his stool, careful not to bump anything that was on the counter and ran off to tell his parents and May about his professional egg cracking skills. They all praised him with wide, beaming smiles, proclaiming him the mini master chef.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>With a proud grin, Peter turned and ran through the doors to the kitchen in the back of the cafe only to trip on a bag of flour, the powder exploding into the air around him as laughter from his family rang like bells at the sight.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>When Peter was little he had always dreamed of spending all of his days at </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mayday</span>
  </em>
  <span> with Ben and May but he had never known that he would get it at the expense of his parents.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>After the plane crash he was sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle. It just made sense. He had never thought that it almost hadn't happened, that they had fought tooth and nail against CPS to adopt him when they protested for Peter's welfare at the lack of extra money they couple would have after taking him on. They won though, they got their kid and May only had to pick up a few extra evening shifts at a local clinic for it to work.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman had worried about leaving Ben without her help at the cafe so much more often but he had reassured her that he would be okay. Ben told her that Peter's friend Ned's older sister offered to help out for free as long as she was able to snack on a couple of the delicious foods that Ben made. They couple had protested originally, not wanting to have the teenager to work for nothing but eventually they were worn down and Alice Leeds became one of their favourite and most loyal employees they had ever had.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She would even help keep Ned and Peter entertained when they sat in the cafe after school while Alice and Ned's parents worked and May and Ben were busy with the clinic and cafe. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>As the boy's grew Peter started helping Ben more with different tasks in the little shop. He would help with taking orders and then walking them to the customers. He was also getting better with his baking that Ben would let him make some of the easy muffin and cake recipes by himself until Peter had perfected them almost to the level of his uncle. Ben would joke that he was easily good enough to take over the own man's job.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter would always laugh it off,saying he wasn't nearly as good as his uncle. He had thought that if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>take over, it would be because Ben and May had decided to retire. Never once had it crossed his mind that he would have to do it so soon.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was. Peter and May lost Ben, they lost the man who was such a part of them and it hit the both of them hard.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>May couldn't keep them afloat anymore, the cost of their apartment and the cafe and Peter's school supplies were too much for her single job. She tried picking up more shifts, finding another job, but it wasn't enough.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It scared her that they could lose the one thing they had left of Ben, that they could lose the little cafe that was so dear to them. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter wished he could help but no job he could find paid enough. The ones he did find didn't work out because of the hours he had to spend at school and then the cafe.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>But May and Peter did it all for as long as they could, hope and funds dwindling away as the days went.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Until Harley Keener walked through the door.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Raindrops fell hard and heavy from the deep grey clouds gathered high above the towering New York buildings.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Most people had remembered their umbrellas after checking the weather in the morning and hearing on the news the evening before about the rains expected to come.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone but one Harley Keener. No, he had forgotten his up in his room at the penthouse level of Stark Tower. Yes, you heard that right. Stark Tower, where Harley stayed because of an opportunity from Tony to work on a higher level of education in the city rather than be stuck in Rose Hill forever.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>So here he was, darting down a street in Queens because not only had he forgotten his umbrella but he had missed his bus as well. Getting more soaked as the seconds passed, Harley spotted but looked like the sign to a little cafe tucked into the side of a building.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He ran towards it, careful  not to slip on the slick pavement under his feet. Slipping in through the door, he was hit with a wave of sweet smelling warmth and a familiar voice calling out a greeting. Footsteps came towards him and a towel was held out to him. Filling the towel his eyes trailed up the arm and chest to the head of curls he would see in the halls of Midtown and occasionally in class.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Peter, right? Seen you in school, we've been partnered a few times." Harley asked as he gratefully took the towel, drying off as he took in the sight and smell of the cafe. "You work here?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter Parker smiled at him, eyes tired but bright. "Own it actually. With my aunt. I work here after school." He explained, before his face turned a little red. It was cute. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah. Peter. Parker. I'm uh, I'm Peter Parker." The brown eyed teen said awkwardly before coughing and gesturing to one of the tables behind him. "How would you like something warm to eat or drink?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I would love that."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harley left that day, a $30 tip on the table, and his number on a napkin.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter sent him a message that night and neither knew how it happened but they started speaking every day. Harley started sitting with Peter, Ned, and MJ at lunch, he joined them on projects and assignments. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Somewhere along the line the smiles and looks they shared changed, the late night conversations becoming more close and intimate than either had expected.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harley showed up one day at </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mayday</span>
  </em>
  <span> with a single rose, asking Peter if he would go to a movie with him, and Peter (to Harley's delight) accepted.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>From that day on, Harley visited the cafe and had a drink and some food. Come rain or shine, after school he was there.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn't surprise Harley when Tony became curious about the cafe that Harley spent so much time at and the boy he spoke so much about.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>And so Tony decided that he wanted to meet Peter. What better way to do that than to visit the very cafe the boy worked at?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>When Tony Stark followed Harley through the door, Peter's eyes widened. His boyfriend had told him about Tony, how they met and how the two had bonded and become closer after Tony had brought Harley up to New York. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter had heard stories of the man blowing up toasters because he was bored and making a flying pen during a meeting that he'd been stuck in.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The stories still didn't take away from the awe and admiration of seeing his idol in the flesh.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harley pulled Tony over to where Peter had been sitting and working on his homework in the spare time where the cafe was empty of other customers. Sitting himself down and planting a kiss to Peter's cheek. Once Tony sat down, he introduced the two.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's uh, it's really awesome to meet you, Mr. Stark." Peter grinned at the man and Harley could see the energy and awe trying to break through his attempt at a calm appearance.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony gave an easy smile. "Good to meet you too, Mr. Parker. Harley's told me a lot about you, seems you have our resident potato gun expert wrapped around your finger." The man teased, delighting in the flush that appeared on both boy's cheeks.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh!" Peter jumped up from the table, a few papers sliding across the table in his haste. The teen darted towards the counter and placed a menu in front of Tony. "Is there anything I can get you, sir?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony frowned slightly at the moniker but knew from Harley that there would be no quick or easy way to convince Peter to call him Tony. He glanced over the menu, deciding to go with an apple danish and a hot chocolate, forgoing his usual black coffee for something different.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>When Peter made his way to start the hot chocolate and grab a fresh danish, Tony's eye caught on one of the papers that had scattered on the table moments before in Peter's jump to grab a menu. Tony reached out and slid the nearest one closer, his eyebrows rising when he read over the formulae and calculations scrawled over the page.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then, Peter returned, cocoa and danish in hand. He set it down in front of Tony, a flush setting on his cheeks for a second time when he saw his homework in the man's hand. "Sorry, I'll tidy it up in a moment!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait. Peter, this is good. Really good." Tony stopped him, "I knew you were smart, I mean Harley met you at Midtown, but this… this is high level, kid." Tony looked at Peter.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter looked back at him, eyes shining at the praise from Tony even though he didn't know what to say to it. "Thank you. It's not much though, I mean there are way smarter people around!"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Harley elbowed him. "Don't sell yourself short, Darlin', you're pretty awesome."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter looked down at the table, fidgeting with one of his pens. Tony's voice had him looking up again. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I want to offer you an internship. This right here," Tony gestured to the paper he was still holding, "Is impressive, and I want to know what else you can do." </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I– I don't know what to say. It would be amazing, Mr. Stark, truly, but…"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Harley's already told me about the time you spend here. If you accept, you would have flexible hours so that you could come in on the days you don't have any clubs or anything at school or you could come in the evenings or mornings."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter started at Tony for a few moments, thoughts running through his head. "Why me? You don't even really know me. You could have someone so much smarter and you're asking me."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because these papers show your potential. I also know that these equations right here aren't high school level, even for STEM. I wanna have you in my labs and I want to see what you can really do." Tony spoke passionately, his eyes light at the prospect of being able to teach and watch what Peter would be able to achieve.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"What'dya say, Mr Parker? Do you accept?"</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter wasn't sure what did it, whether it was the practically unbelievable chance to intern under Tony Stark, the encouragement from said man, or the desire to be challenged in his education for once. He wasn't sure but looking back, he thanked it for the rest of his life.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"I accept."</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a heads up, I'm going to be editing and reposting these a day or two after the og posting once my beta/s have had time to edit and check them over for me. There won't be massive changes I don't think but I just wanted to put it out there lol</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>